by Kyoko Nakajima: A fictionalized memoir, this novel is the diary of a former maid, Taki, who moves to Tokyo in 1930 to work for a rich family. Her narrative follows daily life working in the household of the Hirais, until the end of the second world war.

Virginia Lee Burton won the Caldecott Medal in 1943 for her memorable picture book The Little House, a poignant story of a cute country cottage that becomes engulfed by the city that grows up around it. The house has an expressive face of windows and doors, and even the feelings of a person, so she’s sad when she’s surrounded by the dirty, noisy city’s hustle and bustle: “She missed the field of daisies / and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight.” Fortunately, there’s a happy ending, as the house is taken back to the country where she belongs.

Source: https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/things-to-do/the-best-books-about-tokyo.